Stepping Up
by Batmanfan12
Summary: Sequel to Finally and Flashback. Back from their honeymoon, Alex and Jo have their hands busy. Jo's nervous about her upcoming boards while also trying to determine a specialty. She and Alex are also working on a case involving a very sick but charming little girl. What happens when the case turns personal.
1. Chapter 1

"Isn't it great to be back?" Jo Karev beamed, taking in the familiar scenery of the place she considered her second home. It looked exactly as it had when they left; she could only hope she didn't miss too many exciting, important cases.

"I'm ready to work, aren't you?" When she didn't receive an answer, Jo turned around to find her husband stalling by the front lobby doors. Rolling her eyes, she jerked him by the hand, snapping, "Alex!"

"What?" he grumbled. He'd been enjoying their vacation; it was relaxing without having his pager beep constantly or dealing with anyone's crap. Jo, on the other hand, was anxious to work again. Her boards were coming up in a few weeks and that was _all_ she could think about.

"Were you even listening?" Her hands were on her hips.

"I tried not to," he deadpanned.

Being used to his sarcastic remarks, she ignored it. "Let's go. We'll be late and I don't care if you're my husband or not-I refuse to be late!" She forcibly grabbed his hand, dragging him to the elevators.

"And we couldn't extend our vacation, why?"

"You know why," she said in a duh tone. "My boards are coming up. I have to study as much as possible."

"You know," they stepped into the elevator, it was unnecessarily full so they stood close together, not that he minded. He rather liked feeling her breasts against his body. "Wouldn't it be ironic if you studied and failed? Talk about irony," he chuckled.

Jo gave him her best death glare. It didn't faze him in the least. "Ever heard of being supportive?"

The other elevator occupants were visibly uncomfortable at being in the middle of their squabble. Alex inwardly smirked. This was the perfect opportunity. He caught her eyes, giving her that look they'd give each other every time they wanted to mess with strangers. Her mouth turned to an "o' in realization.

"No use being supportive if you're doomed to failure," he said calmly.

"Why do you always do this to me?!" she burst into tears, startling everyone. "You're always putting me down!" she sniffled.

He shrugged uncaringly. "So?"

"So?!" her voice raised an octave. Alex was sure if her medical career didn't work out she'd be an excellent actress. "You're always supportive to _Marla_."

It took all his strength to keep a straight face. The strangers jaws dropped. Their heads bounced from looking at him to Jo like they were at a tennis match. "Yeah well, _Marla_ is talented and smart. I don't have to explain everything."

Jo's lip quivered, the pain on her face was scarily real; so real Alex nearly dropped the act to comfort her. "Oh yeah? Well how about you marry her then? You obviously like her more anyway!" The elevator door opened and she rushed out, covering her face.

The strangers dissolved slowly. Some hurriedly got out, relieved to be out of the drama filled space while others aren't as quickly, opting to stay to watch Alex, who's stayed at the back of the elevator, pretending to look defeated.

Alex finally left, running to catch up with Jo who was at the nurse's station, chatting with one of the nurse's. "You did great," he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It was very convincing," he whispered huskily in her ear.

Jo shivered despite it not being cold in the building. "Don't do that," she spoke quietly, a smile making its way on her lips. "Try to be professional."

"Screw being professional."

"Did I hear Karev?" Arizona came down the hallway. She squealed when she noticed Jo and rushed to pull the younger woman in for a hug. "Oh, you're here! I knew you'd be back soon but I didn't know when! How was the trip? Did you see any hot guys? Hotter than Karev?" she said this very fast without taking a breath.

Jo laughed. "You're going to have to call him Alex now, you know. I'm a Karev now," her eyes twinkled in happiness at being able to say that.

"That's true," Arizona acknowledged. "But he'll always be Karev to me," she shot Alex a wide smile. "I remember when we first met," she sighed, reminiscing.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Did we miss anything important Robbins?"

Arizona's bubbly demeanor changed, turning professional. "Not too much," she reassured to a nervous looking Jo. She scanned a chart. "Carlos did need surgery on his aorta but that went fairly well."

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Not really. Everyone was stable for once. Lexi did get released the other day. She was so sad Dr. Alex couldn't be there to see her go," Arizona smiled teasingly.

Alex grinned at hearing this. Lexi was one of his long time patients. She'd been there since she was an infant for various issues. She was eight years old and had a not so subtle crush on him. "I'll call her mum and talk to her, tell her I miss her already."

Jo's heart swelled. He may not like to admit it but Alex was such a softy when it came to kids. It only made her inner battle about having kids of her own so much more difficult.

"How are you feeling about your boards, Jo?" Arizona shifted position, differing her weight on her other leg. "Are you nervous?"

Alex snorted, earning the attention of both women.

"Shut up," Jo muttered.

"Hey, it's okay to be nervous," Arizona glared at Alex. "I was a mess before I had mine."

"Thanks," Jo appreciated her efforts of reassurance. "At least _someone_ cares."

"I care," Alex insisted. "I just think you're overreacting."

"Alex! That's not what you say," Meredith chastised as she came from behind him with Cristina in tow. "The boards are a big deal."

"Yeah. What if I fail?" Jo said panicking. "What would I do then?"

"Stripper?" Cristina quipped. Meredith elbowed her while Alex went off into la la land, picturing Jo naked.

"Stop that!" Jo snapped her fingers in front of his face, knowing exactly what he was doing. "I'm serious."

"So am I," Alex crossed his arms. "You're taking it to seriously. You've studied non stop."

"Which is a good thing," Arizona pointed out but he wasn't listening.

"You've got to take a break. No more studying for today," Alex stated.

"Alex, I have to!" Jo yelped. "Do you want me to fail?"

"You'll fail if you overwork yourself," he placed his hands on her waist again. "I want you to succeed so I'm setting some boundaries." He kissed her forehead. Cristina feigned vomiting, earning another blow to her side from Meredith. Arizona cooed at them. The couple didn't even notice any of this.

"I'm not a child," she said irritably but didn't resist him.

He pushed away a stray piece of hair from her face. "Promise me you'll take a break?"

She looked like she wanted say no, she was close. But he did that evil thing he learned to do: pull the puppy dog eyes! "Stop that," she repeated her earlier words, avoiding his eyes altogether.

"You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you JoJo?" he used that horrid nickname that made her cringe.

"Fine," she caved in. "Fine, fine. I'll take a break." He grinned triumphantly. "But If I fail anyway, I'll murder you, Alex Karev."

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Karev."

 **There you have it! First chapter of many. I know this was sorta short but I at least wanted something. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot to say last chapter that I don't own this! If I did I wouldn't be a broke college student lol enjoy the next chapter!**

"JO!" Stephanie's excited scream greeted her, simultaneously piercing everyone's ears in the locker room.

"She hadn't been gone that long," Shane muttered. Ben heard this and wacked him on the head.

"It's a woman thing, don't interrupt or she'll eat you alive," he advised, only half joking.

Jo laughed, embracing her friend. Pulling away, she said, "Steph, why weren't you at the frat house? I asked Yang, but she wasn't very helpful." Her friend's grin didn't dissipate which only led her to believe, "Did you met a man?" she gasped.

"Girl, you know it," Stephanie grinned, and they burst into giggles like school girls.

"What are they laughing at?" Shane asked Ben cluelessly.

"In time, Shane," Ben patted his shoulder. "In time."

"Oooh what's his name?" Jo squealed.

"Lorenzo," Stephanie sighed dreamily.

"Sounds exotic," Jo winked.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Did you guys have sex?" Jo asked excitedly. "I bet you guys had sex!"

"What makes you think that?" Stephanie said innocently.

Jo snorted. "Don't play innocent card with me. You have the glow!"

"The glow?" Shane asked before being shushed by Ben.

"I do not have the glow," Stephanie denied as she began getting changed into her scrubs.

Jo followed her lead. "You totally have the glow," she insisted. "Did you do at the frat house or his place?"

"Can you just drop it?" Stephanie tried, and failed, to hide her smile. Her friend didn't fail to catch that.

"I knew it! I knew you had sex!"

"Can you keep it down?" Stephanie shushed her. "I don't need Bailey or anyone else for that matter hearing about my personal life."

"Sorry," Jo couldn't stop grinning while she dressed. "I knew it," she whispered victoriously. Her best friend rolled her eyes at her antics.

"Murphy's late," Stephanie commented offhandedly, glancing around the locker room. "That just means I have a better chance of getting on She-Shepard's service."

Ben finished tying his shoes. "You didn't' hear?"

The girls turned to face him. "Hear what?" they asked in unison.

"She quit and transferred."

"What?" they stared at him incredulously. "Why?" Stephanie asked. "Are you sure she wasn't fired? She did accuse Job of being a slut who sleeps for allergies."

"Thanks for reminding me," Jo rolled her eyes.

"No. She quit, told Miranda a couple days ago. Don't know why," Ben replied.

Stephanie shrugged it off. She'd never been overly friendly with Leah, especially since she made a joke when Heather died.

Jo felt frozen on the spot. _What if it's my fault?_ Things with Leah had been rocky since Izzie's stunt she pulled when she accused her of being a lier. She felt a twinge of guilt and hoped with all her might it wasn't her fault.

"So," Ben changed the subject. "Have you girls figured out a specialty yet?"

"Neuro," Stephanie sang, slamming her locker shut. "Me and She-Shepard are gonna be the dream team."

"That's She-Shepard and I, Edwards," a voice from behind them said dryly.

Stephanie sheepishly greeted her mentor. "Hey Dr. Shepard..." Jo snickered quietly, knowing the stellar surgeon hated that nickname.

"What did I say about calling me that?" Dr. Shepard sighed.

"Not to call you that if I wanted to stay on neuro," Stephanie winched.

"Exactly."

"Guess I'll find a new specialty for now," Stephanie muttered.

Dr. Shepard shook her head. "Are you kidding? I need you." Stephanie brightened up but not before Shepard gave her a warning, "Call me that again and you'll be doing scut work faster than you can say intern. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Stephanie nodded obediently, ignoring the smirk she received from Jo.

"Good," Dr. Shepard acknowledged. Directing her question to Jo, she said, "Have you picked a specialty yet, Wilson? I'm not calling you Karev, too confusing," she added when Jo blinked at the use of her former last name.

"Not yet," Jo denied. "I just don't know what I like."

"Didn't you use to like ortho?" Dr. Shepard asked, her hands deep her coat pockets. "What happened to that?"

Jo shrugged. "I did but ever since Callie left it's been dull. I might go for something else."

"Like peds?" Ben suggested. "That way you can be with Alex."

"God no," Jo laughed. "I see him enough already. I'd get claustrophobic from working with him everyday." The residents laughed while Dr. Shepard chuckled.

"You're good at what you do, Wilson. Pick something you love and you won't be disappointed."

Jo pondered her words as she, Stephanie, Ben and Shane headed to the nurse's station where Bailey was waiting for them. The chief launched into a discussion about how their boards were coming up, they needed to study and pick their specialty by the time their boards arrived. Jo tried to listen but she was too distracted. Everything was becoming so complicated. Her fear of failure was showing itself even more now that her boards were coming up and her mind was on overdrive about picking the perfect specialty. She didn't want to become bored or overwhelmed by it. There was also personal matters that seemed to overtake her mind lately. Alex brought up children again.

He was so ready and enthusiastic about becoming a dad. He didn't care what gender they were, what needs they had or even their names; he just wanted a little baby of how own to nurture and care for. Jo couldn't blame him. Most of his friends had children and he cared for kids everyday so it was bound to get to him.

Her refusal wasn't as strong as it had been, now that she was married to him and reassured that he wasn't Paul. But she was still iffy. She had her career to think about and how it would affect her relationship with Alex. Would they end up like some couples with children that were angry with each other all the time? Would they find that they didn't' have anything to talk about unless it concerned the kids? Could they even get pregnant? Jo knew infertility was a major problem nowadays. She certainly wasn't immune to it.

She explained her doubts to him and he, naturally, waved it away dismissively. He was completely confident while she wasn't. She'd told him maybe now wasn't the time. Maybe they should wait until she was an attending.

He'd disagreed, saying that it was better to do it while they were young. Jo felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Alex wanted this so bad and she couldn't give it to him. Just as she was about to apologize, he took her hands into his eyes and looked her in the eye.

 _No matter what, I love you," he said before kissing her._

Jo grinned goofily. Alex never fail to make her feel like a hormonal teenager.

"Jo? Jo!" Stephanie snapped her fingers in her face. "C'mon. We have to work."

"Sorry," Jo said sheepishly.

"Lost in la la land again?" her friend said dryly.

"Shut up," Jo shoved her playfully. "Who do I have today?"

"Your husband," Stephanie smirked. "Try to get stuff done today," she called teasingly as she went in the other direction.

Jo rolled her eyes. She entered the elevator with a full mind. She'd figure this out. Maybe she could talk to Meredith or Arizona. Cristina was nicer to her now, especially after the whole Izzie fiasco, but she still wasn't the type of person you'd have a personal conversation with. Unless you were Meredith Grey, that is.

She exited and turned right. As she walked, a few people, whose faces she did not recognize but knew they worked at the hospital by their attire, stared at her. She figured it was because of the lies Izzie had spread then her mini explosion at the blonde in which she revealed they were, indeed, lies.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," she drawled. Some blushed in embarrassment while others shook their heads at her smart mouth.

She found Alex flipping through charts, thoroughly engrossed. She took the opportunity to stealthily wrap her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his back. "Guess who?" she murmured. He tensed up for a second but relaxed as soon as he realized it was her.

"Hey," he said, taking in the breathtaking scent of her perfume. "Who do you have today?"

"You," she smiled even though he couldn't see her. She rested the side of her face on his strong, muscular back. This was bliss. This was the magical side of marriage she couldn't believe she wanted to avoid. "How's your morning going so far?"

He grunted, turning around to face her. His expressive eyes were flashing, and Jo knew a rant was coming. "Where should I start?" he said rhetorically.

"Most start at the beginning," Jo snorted, smirking.

Rolling his eyes fondly, Alex sneaked his hand around her waist and gave her bottom a swift smack.

Jo's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you just did that in public," she whisper-shouted.

"You never cared before," he pointed out.

"Yeah well," a blush crept up her cheeks that made her husband grin goofily. "We're married now and-"

"Say it again," Alex interrupted, smiling genuinely.

"What?" she said confusedly. "Yeah well?"

"No, no," he shook his head. "After that."

Having no clue as to what he was talking about, Jo tilted her head before she realized what he meant. "We're married now," she said softly. He looped his arms around her, pulling her close.

Alex kissed her forehead gently. No matter how many times he'd done it, it still felt like the first time everytime. Jo marbled that a man could make her feel so _good_. "I love you, Princess," he said quietly.

Alex wasn't the feely type. He didn't show a lot of affection, or what typical people called affection, in public. So the fact that he announced his love for her, even if he lowered his voice, made her heart melt.

"I love you too, Jerk," she kissed his lips, feather light.

"Ewww." The couple broke apart and found a small herd of children watching them.

"Dr. Alex has cooties!" a small boy exclaimed. The kids giggled. Jo couldn't help but giggle as well.

Before Alex couldn't respond, a little girl asked. "Dr. Alex, is she your girlfriend?"

The other children waited, listening attentively. "Actually," Alex began, "she's my wife."

The kids ooed. The same girl said excitedly, "Are you gonna have a baby soon?"

Jo was caught off guard by her question. She and Alex shared a glance. "Um," she laughed nervously. "Actually-"

"Why don't we go back to the playroom?" Alex paused when they groaned loudly. "Come on," he ushered them. They obeyed with reluctance. Jo was amazed, to say the least, at how easily he did that. She inquired, with a sideways look, "Okay, how did you do that?"

"What?" he blinked.

" _That_ ," she gestured. "You got them to do what you wanted just like that."

Unsure of where she was going with this, he decided to lighten the mood. "They just like me more," he sighed dramatically. "It's a curse, really, being liked by so many. It's like a fan club."

She snorted. "Whatever, jerk."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close again. "C'mon. I have a consult to get to."

 **There you have it, chapter two! So I've been trying to decide on an age for the little girl but I'm stuck. She's going to be between 6-12. Did you guys have any particular age you wanted her to be or no? I'd love some help on deciding lol.**


	3. Chapter 3

Jo ate her fries with disinterest. The morning had been incredibly dull with only an appendectomy, tonsillectomy, and a kid's case of horrible stomach pain that was contributed to her nervous habit of eating her hair. Of course, it's not like she _wanted_ any kid to be sick, but she needed _something_ to do.

"Hey," Stephanie slumped down.

"Hey," Jo nodded in acknowledgement. "Any good cases?"

"No," Stephanie crossed her arms. "Shepherd had nothing, so I did her post ops all morning. How about you?"

"Nothing," Jo rested her cheek on her hand. "Just a couple newbie surgeries. I didn't get to scrub it on anything. Alex had me checking on his other patients." She sipped her soda.

"Well at least we know you're not getting special treatment," Stephanie smirked. Her friend threw a couple fries at her in retaliation.

"Hey," speaking of Alex, he leaned down to kiss her cheek, sitting beside her.

"Hey," Jo smiled. "Is Bobby feeling okay now that his appendix is gone?"

"Completely," Alex took a huge bite of his burger. "He wants to know when he can see you again."

"Me?" Jo raised her eyebrows.

"I think the kid's got a crush on you," her husband grinned devilishly. "Not that I can blame him."

"Okay," Stephanie interrupted him before he could go on further. "No sex talk at the table." Her superior gave her a dirty look to which she ignored. "Have you picked out a specialty yet, Jo?"

"Why does everyone keep asking?" Jo groaned. "I don't know yet."

"You better figure it out soon," Alex advised her. "You know, if you don't fail your boards, that is." He had a hint of a teasing tone as he spoke.

She gave him a hard shove that nearly sent him off the chair he was sitting in. "You jerk!" she gasped as he laughed. "That's not funny! Tell him it isn't funny," she demanded to her friend.

"That isn't funny Karev," Stephanie said seriously.

"Oh, come on," he snorted. "We both know she's going to be fine as long as she doesn't overdue herself."

"We don't know that," Jo countered. "Which is why I should be studying," she reached into her pocket to pull out some flashcards. Alex grabbed them from her hands in a flash.

"What happened to our agreement?" he demanded.

"You mean _your_ agreement?" Jo said flatly. "You just want me to fail that way I can be your resident forever."

"And I can order you to have hot, steamy sex," he imagined. "Oh, yes. That's definitely it."

Stephanie pushed her trey away, citing, "I think I've lost my appetite."

"I knew it," Jo exclaimed teasingly, poking his ribs lightly. She leaned in to kiss him; he leaned in too but instead of pecking her lips he made a successful grab for the flashcards.

"Hey," she whined. "Give those back," she tried to reach for it but he held them high above her head. "Alex, I need those!"

"No," he told her simply. "You said you wouldn't study for today so you're not studying." He was adamant, she knew. He wouldn't let this go so she only had one choice.

"Fine, fine! I won't study."

"Anyway," Stephanie cut off their pointless banter. "It can't be that hard to figure out a specialty."

"Says the neuro prodigy," Jo said dryly. Running a hand through her hair, she added, "It is hard. How am I suppose to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life? What if I pick the wrong one or I get burned out? I have to really think about this."

"Well _I_ think you're overthinking it," Alex announced, jamming another bite of his burger in. Stephanie wrinkled her nose at his lack of manners. "Just pick something you like," he said in between his huge bites of food. "Weren't you thinking about ortho?"

Jo repeated her words she'd said to Dr. Shepherd. " I was but ever since Callie left it's lost its pizazz."

"What about urology?" Stephanie suggested. "You could ask Dr. Avery about it."

Jo stared at her friend blankly. "Absolutely not."

"Peds?" Alex winked. "We'd be spending a lot of time together," he hinted.

"Which is exactly why I won't be choosing it," Jo kissed his cheek, snickering at his fake, wounded look. "Oh come on. You think I could handle you at home _and_ working with you in the same department? I'd be in the psych ward after a week."

"We've worked together before," Alex said, ignoring Stephanie's laughter.

"That was temporary, not permanent," she patted his cheek. "Nice try, though."

"Okay, okay," Stephanie got control over her giggles. "What about general? I've heard no complaints there."

Jo thought it over. "I mean, I guess. I've never thought about it before."

"You could ask Mer about it later," Alex took a drink. "She's a geek when it comes to that stuff."

"Or cardio," Stephanie added. "I'm sure Yang would be thrilled to have you."

Jo smiled wryly. "I can't see Dr. Yang getting thrilled about anything." Beside her, she heard Alex sigh exaggeratingly. "What?"

"When are you going to call my friends by their first names?" he sounded amused. "You're still calling Cristina, Dr. Yang."

"I can't help it," she defended herself. "It's a habit. Anyway," she turned back to her best friend. "I don't know. It's cool. I might check it out."

"You know, everyone's got a specialty picked out but you," Stephanie told her pointedly emphasizing the last word. "You'd better find one soon."

"Okay, okay," Jo grumbled.

"I'll be back," Stephanie hopped up. "Going to get a cake. You guys want anything?"

"No thanks," Jo shook her head. Stephanie turned to Alex. "What about you?"

"How about you get a new place to live?" Alex smirked. Stephanie scowled and turned away toward the desert section.

Jo hoped now that they were alone he wouldn't start in on _that_ conversation again. Alex had been urging her that either everyone in the frat house needed to move out or they needed to. Now that they were married, he'd been hoping to have a house for just them so there would be no more interruptions or eaten food that was saved for him (He still hasn't forgiven Stephanie for drinking all of his bear). Jo understood his reasons. It sounded great, really, it did. But she wasn't sure if that was really the best move for now. Before any further conversation could happen, she was saved by Arizona and Yang joining them. The blonde was eyeing the cardiac surgeon's tray with a slightly nauseated look. Jo couldn't exactly blame her. Nothing on the tray was considered healthy. Between the square, wrapped up cakes, cookies, donuts, chocolate granola bars and big cup of soda, it was definitely a heart attack waiting to happen.

"What's all that for?" Alex made a grab for one of the cakes but Yang slapped his hand away.

"Leave it alone. I need it," she bit into one of the cookies.

"For what?" Arizona was a bit appalled by everything. "Gain weight? Because you're fine, fantastic, even."

"Not that," Yang rolled her eyes. "I have a super long surgery and I need sugar. All of it so don't touch anything."

"I don't plan on it," Arizona unwrapped her turkey sandwich.

"Hey, I'm back. There's no more-and that's where they all went." Stephanie came back, discouraged by the lack of sweets until she saw Yang's pile.

"Yep," Yang said in between bites.

"Can I have one?" Stephanie asked nicely. "I mean, you are my favorite boss, besides Shephard."

Yang snort, a few chocolate crumbs escaped her mouth, much to Arizona's disgust. "No."

"Ew!" Arizona cringed.

"Really, Robbins?" Alex smirked. "You worked in peds, where there was slobbery, bloody, snotty children and you're afraid of some chewed up crumbs?"

"I can't help it," Arizona carefully pushed the crumbs away with her napkin. "It's gross. Chewed up food that's covered in spit, ick!"

"Vomit is worse," Stephanie shuddered. "That day Webber switched our specialities up was the worst day of my life."

"Wasn't your speciality peds?" Jo suspected.

"Yes!" Stephanie shrunk down a bit when Arizona looked greatly offended. "I mean-"

"What's wrong with peds?" the blonde woman glared.

"Well for starters," Yang chimed in, snickering. She didn't finish her sentence however, and just decided to shove in another sweet.

"Nothing," Stephanie protested, feeling cornered. "It's just not for me. I'm not really a kid person."

"But you were great with Erin," Arizona reminded her. "She loved you."

"True," Stephanie agreed. "But I couldn't just be around kids all the time. Watching adults die are hard but it's even worse when it's a kid." The group silently agreed, each thinking of a personal experience.

"So Alex," Arizona changed the subject. "When will we see you guys make tiny humans of your own?" she sounded annoyingly excited.

"Uh," Alex gazed over at Jo, who had become frozen at hearing the question. "I dunno. We haven't really talked about it."

"You guys would make the cutest babies," Arizona sighed dreamily.

Jo abruptly stood up, grabbing her tray. "I've got to go," she excused herself. "Uh, pager went off. Patient needs me." She ran off before anyone could stop her. Alex closed his eyes. The whole kids conversation really bothered her. He'd wanted kids of his own for a long time, just like he had wanted to marry Jo for a long time. He hoped someday she would be open to the idea. During their previous talks, she mentioned maybe about waiting until she was an attending.

 _Maybe_.

He said no immediately. He saw first hand how hard it was to conceive a child after a certain age (and let's face it, he wasn't getting any younger). It caused problems for both mother and baby. Jo may have only been in her mid thirties but time was running out.

Of course, when he said what he said, he hadn't wanted to pressure her into having a baby or seem like he was forcing her. But he really wasn't sure how to go about this. He ended up reassuring her that no matter what, he loved her anyway. That night, while laying in bed, cuddled close to his wife, his mind wandered and he began thinking of how different his life would be if they did have kids.

Things like gender didn't matter to him. He didn't care what they named the kids (as long as it wasn't after anyone in his family) or even if the child was special needs. They were doctors, they knew how to handle that stuff.

He wondered what Job would be like pregnant. Would she have crazy cravings and terrible mood swings? Would she have a natural birth or C-section?

He'd been a good dad, he'd try, anyway. He would do what his father never did for him. He would take pictures of them and hang them all over the house. He would go to every school meeting and make sure he knew everything that was going on in his kids' education. He would be there for them, love them constantly and so much that they would be sick of it. He would be the best father he could be.

He'd make sure of it.

"Did I say something wrong?" Arizona glanced at the exit where Jo had run to.

Cristina's mouth opened but her sarcastic comment never came. "Don't," he warned. "I don't want to hear it." Edwards was peering at him with...pity? A bubbling feeling of annoyance crept up. He didn't want or need anyone's pity.

"What?" he barked, causing a few passerbys to stare. "Stop looking at me like that!"

Edwards calmly acted as though he wasn't glaring daggers at her. Alex was growing more agitated, between the baby issue with Jo, and Edwards' behavior.

"Should we go to talk her?" Arizona obviously felt bad for starting the conversation. "I didn't know she would get upset. Has this happened before?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "I think she sorta wants a baby but she's scared."

"Of what?" Arizona frowned. "She's healthy enough. There shouldn't be any problems with the birth. If she wants, I can give her a workup."

"It isn't that," Alex ran a hand through his hair. " It's," he paused hesitantly. "Well, she doesn't want to end up like her mom."

Cristina, whom had been in and out of the conversation, perked up. "What's up with Ponytails mother?" Arizona and Edwards looked interested as well.

Alex mentally cursed himself. Jo would kill him for announcing her personal life to anyone, but, he supposed, this time was alright. "Did she ever tell you her mom left her at a firehouse when she was two weeks old?"

Cristina and Arizona's eyebrows furrowed. Obviously not. Edwards, on the other hand, had the look. She knew. He knew that she knew.

"She mentioned it," the resident said carefully. "What does that have to do with a baby?"

"She doesn't know how to be a mother," Arizona realized before Alex could answer. "She never had one to follow as an example so she's scared she's going to mess up."

"Pretty much," Alex nodded.

Cristina grew quiet. Alex knew of her past abortions with Burke and Hunt. Despite how she tried to act, it obviously bothered her in some way.

Edwards looked upset with herself. "How did I not notice this? She's my best friend."

"If it makes you feel any better," Alex said awkwardly, "Jo wasn't planning on telling anyone so it's not just you."

Edwards pushed a piece of her hair behind her ears. "Not really but thanks anyway, Karev."

"No problem," he muttered.

He didn't really want to discuss it anymore, partly because knew _Jo_ would find out somehow and also because it pained him. Knowing how much he wanted a child of his own but couldn't have one.

Edwards' pager beeps as did Christina's. "Incoming trauma," Cristina read, stuffing one last chocolate filled sweet in her mouth. "Come with me, Edwards."

"Oh, no. I'm on Shephards service today," Edwards explained.

"Now you're on mine. Move!" The cardio prodigy ordered. Edwards groaned but did as she was told.

The only ones left were Arizona and Alex. The blonde was finishing her lunch but he had absonoed his. With his face in his hands, he let out a long sigh.

"You okay?" Arizona asked softly. He grunted in response. "It's okay to talk about your feelings, you know. It'll make you feel better."

"Doubt it," he snorted. "C'mon Robbins, you really believe all that? That I'll just feel so much better after talking about my problems?"

"Yes," she said simply. "It's well known that it helps than just bottling it up and pretending it doesn't exist." Alex scowled, particularly shoving his tray so hard it nearly flew off the table. "Alex, listen to me." He reluctantly met her eyes. "I know you want a baby and to be a dad, I understand."

"No you don't," he said harshly. "You _have_ a daughter to love and care for. You have no idea what's it like. What's it like when the woman you love doesn't want to have the one thing you want more than anything in this world." His face was starting to become pink from being so angry. "I understand why she doesn't want one but can't she see it from my point of view? Can't she see that I've wanted children and sure, she didn't have a mother to help her out or be there for her. So yeah, maybe she doesn't have a clue about mothering but she could try, couldn't she? Is it really that hard?" he slumped, feeling exhausted. Arizona gently patted his arm.

"It's not that simple, Alex. I'm not choosing sides but I see both sides. You have every right to want children and now that you're married it's typical to have already started trying. I get it. You feel she could try harder and maybe she could but you have to understand her reasons, too. Jo is scared, she's terrified. You would be too if you were in her position. I'm glad you want to take the father role so seriously but it feels different for a mother. It's different when you have a baby growing inside of you and you worry constantly about _everything_. Will he or she be healthy? Will he/she be happy? Will he/she like me? It's ten times worse when you have mother to help guide you. It's not easy, Alex. I know you know this. Give her time. She may come around."

"And if she doesn't?" he stared at her pointedly.

"Then you'll go one step at a time. She's probably overwhelmed with all this baby talk. If she calms down she might reconsider."

"Thanks Robbins," he said gruffly.

"No problem," she beamed.

 **Soooo how was that? The girl is coming in next chapter! And I'm not a mother or anything so I Just winged it when I wrote Arizona's words to Alex. If anything doesn't sound right, please tell me and I'll fix it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gosh sorry it took me so long to update! I got really sick and landed in the hospital for a few days and now I'm trying to catch up with my stories. This chapter is the introduction of the little girl. Enjoy!**

This was unfamiliar territory, Jo decided. Clad in a hospital gown while sitting on the examination table anxiously awaiting the doctor was not something she was used to feeling. This was the other side; the side that the patents were normally on, the doctors who treated them.

It was a nice little office; the walls were cream colored and there were a couple posters hung up, one that protested abortion, saying it was not the answer and another that had a number for those who needed extra help.

 _Would my mother have needed that if she kept me?_

With her anxiety through the roof, Jo picked at her nails. She didn't know why she was so nervous. There was nothing wrong with what she was doing, she reasoned. If her suspicions were correct then she would figure out how to deal with it and Alex would never need to know.

Arizona's comment about them making babies bothered her more than she wanted to admit. This was only to prove her point. If it was indeed true, she couldn't get pregnant, she would feel a sense of relief, that her being hesitant about children wasn't a problem anymore. She would feel less guilty. A knock on the door snapped her back to reality.

"Miss Karev?" a middle aged woman with light brown hair and kind eyes was at the door.

"Dr. Wilson," Jo said automatically. "I'm married but I still keep my maiden name for work," she explained.

"My apologies," the woman smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Dr. Moy," she sat on the rolling chair with crossed legs. "And what seems to be the problem today?"

Jo squirmed uncomfortably. "I, ah," she stammered. "I need to see if I can get pregnant," she blurted out, feeling a bit mortified.

Dr. Moy, to her credit, didn't react to Jo's odd behavior. Instead, she smiled warmly and said, "Well let's have a look then." She adjusted her glasses and, with a pen readily in her hand, asked, "What's your medical history like? Did your mother have fertility problems?"

Jo lowered her eyes. "I didn't know my parents. My mother dropped me off at a fire station when I was two weeks old. I was in foster care for a while but I don't really know anything."

Dr. Moy frowned sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that, dear. Have you been sick recently? Are you updated on all your shots?"

"No and yes."

"Do you have any long term conditions?"

"No."

"Are you currently taking any medications?"

"No."

Dr. Moy quickly jotted this down and flipped a page. "This might be uncomfortable for you but what is your sexual health like?"

Jo uncrossed and crossed her legs, relaxing slightly. These questions weren't so bad, not like she'd expected. "Great, actually. Very healthy."

"How often do you make love?"

With a slight blush on her cheeks, Jo answered, "Pretty often."

"Have you ever had a sexually transmitted disease?"

"Nope," she said immediately, making the doctor laugh.

"Fantastic," Dr. Moy chuckled with twinkling eyes. "So there's no problems? No endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease?"

"No, thankfully."

"Alright," the doctor nodded. "And how are your menstrual periods?"

Jo couldn't help but snort, causing the doctor to raise her eyebrows. "Irregular, verb irregular. Sometimes I'll have two in a month."

"Really?" Dr. Moy hummed.

"Yes, and they're very painful, way more than when I was a teenager," Jo informed her.

"How long are your cycles, typically?"

"Uhhhh, depends. Usually like ten to twelve days."

"When do they usually start?"

"Beginning and end."

"Have you ever had a baby before?" Dr. Moy changed the subject.

"No."

"Okay. How long have you and your partner been trying for one?"

At this, Jo found interest in the floor, avoiding Dr. Moy's eyes and the question entirely.

"Dr. Wilson?"

"Sorry," Jo took a deep breath. "We haven't exactly been trying. You see, I..I'm not sure if I want a baby, but my husband does. I'm not even sure if I can get pregnant. I needed to get it confirmed before Alex starts picking out names," she chuckled humorlessly.

Dr. Moy nodded seriously. "I understand. We'll skip that section for now. Tell me, what is your lifestyle like?"

"Busy," Jo sighed. "I'm a surgical resident trying to find a specialty and study for my upcoming boards."

"Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Do you drink?"

"Occasionally," Jo grinned. "When I'm not on call of course."

"Of course," Dr. Moy chuckled. "How's your diet?"

"I'm a doctor. I eat when I can and I sleep when I can," Jo brushed some of her hair behind her shoulders.

"Well, that's it for that," Dr. Moy stood up. "I'll need to exam you know, if you will please, lie on your back."

Jo obayed. Dr. Moy lifted up her gown, informing her, "I'll need to have a look."

"Okay," Jo replied, unsurely.

Dr. Moy was as professional as she seemed. Jo did notice that when she was feeling around where he uterus would be, a frown came onto her face. Jo wanted to ask what was wrong but decided to wait and find out. The examination was over before Jo knew it and while the doctor was washing her hands, she said, "I'll send a nurse in to get some blood samples. I'll also schedule you for an ultrasound."

"Why? Is something wrong?" worry crept up in Jo's voice.

"We don't know yet," Dr. Moy said cryptically. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing serious." She left the room, wishing her a good day and counting on her to return for her next visit. Jo leaned with her back against the wall, feeling uncertain.

After the blood samples were taken, Jo put her work clothes back on, wincing when her white coat made contact with her now bruised elbow. She cursed when she glanced at her watch and noticed she was nearly two hours late to her shift. Hopefully Alex wouldn't question her too much. With a smile, she waved to the nurses and hurried out of the office, hoping that no one she knew saw her.

"Hey," Jo said breathlessly when she got up onto the pediatric floor. Alex glanced over at her, his face went from relieved to angry.

"Where were you?" he fumed. "I was worried sick about you! Was this about what Arizona said?" he now looked concerned.

"No," Jo lied. She was in no mood to discuss any of this. "Who do we have next?" she asked, ignoring his glare. "Well?"

"You're two hours late," two could play at that game. Alex crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry," Jo held her hands defensively. "I was caught up with something."

"Were you studying?" he demanded to know. "Because you can't skip work to study, Jo."

"I wasn't," she snapped.

"Then what were you doing?"

Jo could feel the eyes of several nurses on her. She certainly wasn't going to air her dirty laundry for everyone to hear. "It's none of your business. Can we just work?"

Alex blocked her when she tried to get past him. "No, it _is_ my business. I'm your superior."

Jo felt her temper rise. She hated it when he used the superior card on her. "Alex, just drop it."

"No, Jo," he sounded angry again. "You don't get to disappear and say it's none of my business. You're my wife. I'm not asking to know where you are constantly, but a little consideration would be nice."

The logical part of her told her she need to sympathize with him, after all, he dealt with Izzie leaving him suddenly. Of course he reacted this way. She should've apologized and agreed to tell him later, or, in the very least, placate him. But the other part of her, the rebellious side, told her she didn't have to tell him a thing.

"Or maybe you could trust me," she hissed, shoving passed him roughly.

"Jo," Alex followed her, wrapping his arms around her when she stopped.

"What?" she was still snippy but not as much.

"I'm sorry," he sounded sincere. "I shouldn't have overreacted. But you've got to understand, it isn't just you anymore. You can't just go off without telling anybody, especially at work. I was about to page Bailey for you."

Jo pressed her back against his chest. She hated to admit that he was right. But what she hated more was when he used his logic on her; that logic he got from being older. "You're right, I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Thank you." She couldn't see it, but he was smiling slightly. "You don't have to tell me what you were doing but please, _please_ don't just run off again."

"Okay," Jo agreed.

"Dr. Karev," a nurse called from behind them.

"Yes?" Alex and Jo both turned around. The nurse looked terribly embarrassed for her mistake.

"I'm sorry. I meant Alex Karev."

"What did you need?" Alex stepped forward.

"The little girl in room 511 needs to be consulted," the nurse explained. "She came to the ER bleeding out and having a seizure."

"Is she stable?" Alex asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes, for now. I think her grandmother is in there with her," the nurse answered.

"Thank you," Alex motioned for Jo to follow him. They walked down to the end of the hallway where a happy looking little girl came into view.

"Hello!" she beamed. "I'm Abby. Abby Warren." Jo thought she was a cute little girl. She had long, somewhat dark blonde hair, big blue eyes, braces, and a wide smile that never left her face. If you hadn't known about her problems in the ER, she would've been looked at as relatively healthy.

"Hello abby, I'm Dr. Karev," Alex smiled tenderly at her. "And this is Dr. Wilson, she's going to be helping me."

"It's nice to meet you," Jo said to her.

Abby continued to grin. "It's nice to meet you too!"

"And you must be her grandmother," Alex noticed an older woman standing by Abby's bedside. He reached out to shake her hand.

The woman laughed a little. "Oh, dear heavens, no. I'm Margaret Spencer. I run Sunny's Orphanage a few blocks down."

"Oh, of course," Alex said with realization. Jo felt a simmer of shock in knowing that little Abby was an orphan. She apparently didn't composure herself quickly enough-Margaret caught it.

"It's a terrible thing," she said sadly. "I've been running the orphanage for years and it still breaks my heart everytime we have a new addition."

Jo had a pondering question she wasn't sure if she should ask or not. Feeling brave, she inquired, "How long has Abby been there?"

This time, Abby spoke up. "Since I was a baby. My parents died of cholera when they were in the Amazon. They were explorers," she said proudly.

"That's great," Alex took out his stethoscope and listened to her chest and heart. "Well your breathing is fine but your heart's a bit funky."

"She has a heart murmur," Margret chimed in. "Been there since birth."

"Check the chart," he told Jo. "Anything else we should know?"

Abby glanced at her caretaker. "They don't know."

Jo and Alex stopped what they were doing. "Know what?" they asked in unison. There was a moment's pause.

"Abby has Syndrome X," Margaret said finally.

 **Syndrome X is something I made up. There's a chemical imbalance with the same name but they are NOT related within this story. I also googled about the fertility stuff so I hope i got all that right.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm SO sorry it took me a bit to update. My computer had some issues so I couldn't get on to do anything let alone write. I hope this chapter is okay.**

"Syndrome X?" Jo repeated cluelessly, sending Alex a sideways glance. Inwardly, she tried going back to her medical school days where they went over all the diseases and disorders, but couldn't recall one with that particular name. "I'm sorry I'm not familiar with it. What is it exactly?" Hoping Alex would have answers, she addressed her question toward him. Unfortunately for her, he didn't have any either.

"It's alright," Margaret reassured them both. "It's not a very well known disease. Doctor Basil at Seattle Pres told us there's only one hundred people in the world diagnosed with it, Abby included."

"But what does it do?" Jo furrowed her eyebrows. "Does it have to do with your bleeding and seizure in the ER?"

Abby pulled the blanket closer to her body. "Yeah. I have to be really careful or I could die," she told them calmly, too calmly, in fact. . Alex and jo shared a glance; one of shock and another of 'What the crap?'

"What do you mean you could die?" Alex asked her slowly as if he hadn't heard her right.

"Abby's condition is fatal. Whenever she gets hurt or gets rough or even for no reason, her body attacks itself. She was expected not to live past three years of age," Margaret explained, smiling down at Abby fondly. "But our little girl is a fighter." The girl beamed in response to the praise.

"How old are you Abby?" Alex asked her kindly.

"Eight years old," she informed him.

"Very nice. Are you taking any medicine for your condition?"

"Dr. Basil said there was no medicine," Margaret answered. "His only suggestion was that she take as much precaution as possible." Her slightly wrinkled face showed sadness, sadness that immediately disappeared when Abby glanced up at her caretaker.

"And how did your bleeding and seizure occur?" Jo asked with her pen in hand. Abby's grin turned sheepish, indicating to her that she had done something she obviously wasn't supposed to do.

"Aiden let me use his scooter and I fell and got a boo boo," she lifted the blanket to reveal a purplish bruise that was quickly overtaking her entire leg.

"I told you to stay off of that," Margaret scolded her, lightly hitting her atop her head. "Silly girl."

"Crap," Alex muttered as he gently pressed his finger along her leg. "Take her for a CT," he told Jo. "And get some blood drawn. That can't possibly be good," he gestured.

Little Abby piped up, "Oh, I'm fine. This has happened before."

"It has?" Alex looked toward her caretaker for confirmation. Margaret nodded.

"The first time it happened," she closed her eyes, "I'd never been so scared in all my life. I rushed her to the ER and they did so many tests. When they couldn't get a clear answer as to what was going on, the accusations started. One accused me of abuse, another asked if she was being bullied by the other children or if she was harming herself."

"How old were you than?" Jo inquired.

"Four or five maybe," Abby's face scrunched up in concentration. "I dunno." she frowned. "That's what I was told anyway."

"We went to doctor after doctor," Margaret shook her head woefully. "But no one could tell us anything. One doctor called social services on me and tried getting the orphanage shut down and get Abby and the other children taken away. It was a very stressful day."

"I can imagine," Jo said with sympathy.

"After that we finally got referred to Dr. Basil. He researched Abby's symptoms and took our concerns seriously," Margaret caressed the young girl's lovely hair. "I was so relieved to know it wasn't anything I'd done or by the other children."

"Do they know about Abby's condition?" Alex asked.

"They do. I sat them all down and had a discussion after the diagnosis. I told them you couldn't play with Abby like you could with everyone else. They understood for the most part, some had questions about it that I couldn't answer but overall it went better than I'd expected."

"So no one bumped into you today?" he inquired. Abby shook her head no. "No one hit you? Punched you? Shoved you? This is just protocol," he told Margaret who was watching warily. "I just need to know. Kids hide things, as you know."

The older woman relaxed ever so slightly, allowing herself to smile. "Oh, boy do I. Abby, sweetie," she placed her hands on both sides of the young girl's head. "Please tell the doctors everything. Did the other children hurt you?"

"No, Miss Margaret," Abby denied, her big blue eyes wide as she said so. "I was just bored, and Aiden said he wouldn't tell anyone if I rode his scooter. But I fell," she looked a bit ashamed, the first sign of her being anything other than happy since they arrived in her room. "I'm sorry, Miss Margaret. Am I in trouble?"

Margaret was clearly torn between punishing her or not. "I suppose not this time," she said at last and Abby's grin returned. "But don't let me hear of this again or it'll be no dessert for a week."

"So if you see it instead will that be okay?" she asked innocently with a tilt of her head. Alex suppressed a snicker, something that Jo caught, causing her to smirk at him.

"Silly girl," Margaret repeated her earlier words, rolling her eyes fondly.

"Excuse us for a moment, please," Alex requested, lingering his gaze on Abby. He and Jo walked back out to the hallway while closing the door.

All the while, Jo had a smile on her face. Usually she tried to keep a cool, professional demeanor but with Abby, she couldn't help but mirror her happiness. "Nice little girl, isn't she?" she remarked.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "She is." They descended into a comfortable silence; standing there, thinking. "Jo, about lunch...Arizona didn't mean-"

"It's okay," she shushed him hurriedly. "Really, it is," she insisted at the sight of his disbelief expression.

"Are you sure? Because-"

"I'm sure," she saw his face contort into one of annoyance because she had interrupted him yet again. "Don't worry about it, Alex. I know she didn't mean anything by it." Her nonchalant attitude didn't go easily by him. He saw right through her facade.

"Hey Karev, Jo!"

Speaking of the devil. Arizona, bouncing perkily on her heels, beamed at them. "I was just on my way to a consult. Are you okay, Jo? My comment at lunch didn't bother you, did it?"

Jo sneaked a glare at her husband. Perhaps purely coincidental, but rather suspicious how conveniently Arizona just happened to be on the same floor they were just as she was being talked about.

"No, of course not." She was aggravated to see that not only did Alex not believe her but Arizona didn't either.

"Okay, well I was wondering if you guys wanted to join me for drinks at Joe's after work? We haven't drank together in so long," the blonde woman's head bobbed as she spoke. "So, what do you say?"

"Sure," Jo agreed. "I need a night out. Last time I was at Joe's, Steph and I ran into a group of male strippers and they bought us all our drinks." Alex gaped and Arizona giggled.

"When was this!?" he demanded. Jo patted his cheek.

"Calm down, jerk. This was before we got married."

He visibily relaxed and she fought to keep from giggling at his silliness. Jealousy was not a good color on him, but it was amusing to watch; especially when he would deny the whole thing later.

"So, we're on for tonight?" Arizona looked at them for confirmation.

"Yeh," Jo grinned while Alex acknowledge it by shrugging his shoulders. "We'll be there," she told the blonde.

"Awesome! I'll see you guys there," with that, Arizona went on her way, humming a tune to herself and stopping to greet people she knew.

"Male strippers, huh?" Jo grinned slyly at Alex's irritation. His ego had been stomped on until it became flat. "Did you sleep with any of them?"

Typically, after everything they'd gone through to get where they were now, she would've immediately backtracked and reassure him that he had nothing to worry about. But what was a relationship without some spice to it?

"Come on, Alex, you really think I would do that?" Her husband looked torn between relief and suspicion. "Well, there was one."

"One?" he echoed.

"He begged to sleep with me," Jo enjoyed seeing the vein in his forehead become visible. "Bulging muscles, freakishly good hair, and a butt to boot. I'll never forget Sergei," for dramatic effect, she gave a sideways glance to side opposite from Alex.

"Whatever," he grumbled, crossing his arms like a child. "Make sure you get that blood sample and take Abby for a CT."

"On it," she walked away smirking, making sure her hips swung from side to side.

 **So how was it? It took me ages to write this. I was worried that Alex and Jo weren't in character at some points.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Has everyone watched the final episode of greys? I won't spoil for those who didn't but oh my gosh it was perfect lol Jo is finally a Karev! I hope the writers include a baby for Jolex next season, Alex deserves to be a dad!**

A few days passed with nothing exceptional to note; the interns were put to work by Alex to research Abby's condition. They had full access to the lab and the computers; in the end, though, it shed little light on a solution and even less hope. Still, Abby and Margaret remained optimistic. The caretaker cheerfully reminded them they'd been dealing with this since Abby came to the orphanage, they'd manage. In the meantime, Alex brought Dr. Shepherd to examine Abby for any neurological issues brought on by the massive seizure. It was concluded that there was some delayed reaction and her vision was spotty. According to the charts, she was due for an MRI. Jo volunteered. While she was certain Abby would have no problem chatting up with one of the nurses or interns, she was curious about the little girl.

" _So I'd imagine you all aren't homeschooled,"_ the chair squeaked obnoxiously all the way down the long hallway. Someone needed to tell the janitors or whomever so it could be properly oiled. Although, who _was_ the janitor? She wondered to herself. In her years of working there not once had there ever been someone mopping or sweeping or doing other janitorial duties.

" _I don't think Miss Margaret or Miss Agatha could handle all of us_ ," she told her earnestly, giggling at the mental imagine.

" _How many are there at Sonny's?"_ They squeezed into the crowded elevator next to a odorous man and a heavily bandaged woman with bulging eyes who was also in a wheelchair.

" _Seventy-two, including me."_ she chirped, wiggling her toes in the hospital socks. The elevator door opened, _thankfully_ , Jo relished the pure, clean, odor-free air.

" _Have you ever had an MRI,"_ they pulled up beside the large door with a sig that read _MRI in use_. _"It's not that hard_."

" _Oh, I know_ ," she grinned and Jo really shouldn't have been surprised. The girl was a guinea pig to the medical industry.

The MRI showed nothing unusual, which, in itself, _was_ unusual. Her brain was fully in tact, healthy and still growing. You wouldn't' have thought she just experienced a could've been deadly seizure. Even Dr. Shepherd was stumped and that never happened. At a loss on what to do, Dr. Shepherd and Alex agreed to keep her for observation in case anything changes. That was the best they could do in a case like this. The patient and her guide may have been content with the prognosis, but Alex wasn't. Jo hated to see him kicking himself (in a sense) for not providing a better outcome for Abby. If this had been her, he would've told her not to be so hard on herself or that she couldn't save everybody. But for Alex, this wasn't a we'll-get-it-next-time; this was a punch to the gut partly due to his ego in that he could be the hero, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing on most days.

Although his patient troubles put a slight damper on their relationship, with him staying late most nights and always being tired, it was nothing compared to her secret visit with Dr. Moy that was eating away at her. Alex was still in the dark, though he did have suspicions. It didn't help that whenever her cell phone would ring she would noticeably tense up. It was the basis of many arguments to which Jo attributed it to stress. Alex _believed_ her. The thought made her sick to the stomach. She hated lying, predominately to Alex, her _husband._ She'd promised herself after Paul she would never go back to her old ways. Lying was the only way to get around Paul; if she wanted to go for a walk in the park, she'd lie, if she wanted an excuse to hang around the grocery store for more people interaction, she'll lie. It was a way of life she'd become accustomed to. She never regretted it at all until she met Alex and had to harbor many secrets from him. Not being able to marry him because she had been technically still married to Paul was the worst feeling of her life. It literally felt as though struck her in the heart. After they married, there would be no more secrets or lying; they were in this together.

Except now.

One of Dr. Moy's nurses was due to call her to schedule her ultrasound. Of course, she didn't know when they'd call her so she kept her phone with her all the time, even going as far as refusing Alex to touch it. Naturally, he questioned her about it, a little curious the first time then a bit irritated the next. It was even worse that she couldn't answer. It wasn't like she enjoyed doing this to him, no, it was awful. But there just wasn't a solid answer that would satisfy them both. Until it could be resolved and she knew she wasn't fertile, Jo suffered in silence.

It was nearly a week after Abby's arrival that she learned the girl was very observant. She stopped by on her way to lunch to check her vitals; it wasn't her job but the little girl adored her and Alex so she found herself makin non justified trips to her room for pleasure. Just as she was was untangling the cords top the cuff when she began to speak.

"Are you and Dr. Alex dating?" she asked with a girlish giggle. "He looks at you funny."

"Actually," Jo paused in what she was doing, beginning to notice that Margaret wasn't in the room, "he's my husband." A soft smile came onto her face as she said that, being reminded that Alex was her husband always brought a smile to her face and to her heart.

Abby squealed from excitement, causing Jo's smile to widen. That girl was too adorable. "Do you kiss all the time?" Now she was just being plain nosy, but the president decided to indulge her, age appropriately of course.

"Sometimes," she answered cryptically. A moment of silence ensued so Jo could take her blood pressure properly. Hmm, she frowned, it was a little high, not too much to be running more tests but enough to warrant some concern. Once that part was finished, she stuck the thermometer into the girl's mouth before she could ask anything else. Abby squirmed impatiently, intending to get her questions out one way or another. Finally, it beeped, showing a completely normal temperature. "Alright, now you can talk," she smirked.

"Do you have kids? What about a baby? Babies are so cute," she sighed dreamily. Her seemingly innocent comment reminded Jo of her dreadful situation. But she was determined not to be affected in front of her patients. That just screamed unprofessional, even if said patient was only eight years old.

Jo hurried along a little more than she usually would. "Nope, no kids," she replied to Abby's major disappointment. "Dr. Alex and I aren't ready yet. Maybe someday," she couldn't tell if that was to convince Abby or herself.

"If you have a baby will you show me because I really like babies," Abby repeated seriously as though Jo hadn't heard her previously.

"Of course," Jo promised with a smile. By now, it was thirty minutes past twelve which only left her with a half an hour lunch break, not that she particularly cared. Alex would understand her excuse this time. Besides, she wasn't that hungry anyway, in her pocket was a package of powdered donuts; her and Alex's favorite snack. She bid Abby goodbye and went on her way. Before she could leave the peds floor, she ran into Chief Bailey, quite literally.

"Hi, Dr. Bailey. Erm, Chief Bailey, sorry," she corrected herself hastily. She may have been a few inches taller than the older woman but that didn't make her look anything less than intimidating, especially now that she nearly knocked the other woman over. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to," she rambled on.

"Dr. Bailey is fine," her eyes scanned over Jo like an xray, disregarding her apology. "Have you picked a speciality yet, Wilson?"

The air was so thick and uncomfortable, Jo wished her pager would beep or someone's surgery got pushed at this very moment. "No," she admitted. "Not yet but I will."

"You will?" Dr. Bailey echoed. "Wilson, you're coming up on your boards." There was a hint of disapproval that made the young resident wince. Disapproval from the chief was worse than disapproval from any mother out there. She might as well packed her things now.

"I know," she said after a grimince. "I know but I will have something picked out. I just need a little more time to think." A little more time was an understatement, her boards were coming up in a couple weeks so naturally she was on hyperdrive, her reply was, if anything, to placate Dr. Bailey.

"Mhm," said doctor hummed with her lips pursed. She began walking in the opposite direction. "I hope you're sure about that, WIlson. I hope you're sure."

"Me too," Jo mumbled. A vibration in her coat pocket forcibly grabbed her attention. _Hey, come scrub in_. It was from Alex. There was no OR number or any quick explanation of who it was. He must've had a nurse type it for him. As if on cue, another message came through. _OR 4_. She shook her head fondly. _Guess I'll have to miss lunch_ , she thought, popping in another donut. After quickly, but thoroughly, scrubbing in, Jo came through the sliding doors. "You wanted me?" she asked through her mask.

"Yeah," Alex answered back without so much as looking at her. "Ian's bowl perforated."

"Poor thing," Jo said sympathetically. "DId you find the cause?"

"Yeah." Now she was confused. He pulled his hands out of Ian's body, beckoning her over. She obeyed, feeling even more perplexed when he nodded at her. "Go on."

"Go on what?"

"I want you to to tell me what's wrong and fix it," he told her. Jo's stomach dropped. This was a test!

"No," she cringed at how unnecessarily loud her voice was. "Alex, I can't do this. Please don't make me do this." She was still in the learning phase, if she messed up that would be another blow to her confidence and her chances of passing her boards. "I'll watch," she offered. "I won't take my eyes off, I promise," she was saying that a lot lately.

"Sorry Princess," he quipped. "You don't have that luxury anymore, now you might want to get started. He's already been under an hour." She was sure he was smirking behind his mask.

Immediately, before even touching the scalpel, the problem became apparent. She recalled Ian's medical history mentioning diverticulitis and his episodes of severe abdominal pain and vomiting. "It looks like there was a blockage that burst," she commented, wrinkling her nose at the atrocious smell. It was certainly gag inducing. "This entire bowel looks infected."

"What do we do next?" he asked, nodding at her assessment. Jo hesitated for a moment, half of her was convinced there was nothing they could do to save the bowel without endangering Ian's life, but the other half of her had an idea.

"What if we scrape away only at the infected areas so he's not on a colostomy bag?"

"Good thinking, Dr. Wilson." Jo felt able to breathe once again after the praise. The rest of the surgery went off without a hitch; though her brilliant idea didn't shake off the feeling of utter nervousness, if anything, it heightened it. She'd felt a bit angry that Alex put her on the spot like that. Didn't he understand that she wasn't ready? Perhaps, she thought with a sideways glance at him, that was exactly what he was trying to get across to her. She was a senior resident about to take the most important test of her career yet was still fearful of performing simple surgeries. Stephanie was way ahead of her; she and Shepherd were always looking for some new, groundbreaking idea to try. Shain was with Yang, making silicon hearts and crap. Ben was in Jackson's 'Plastics Posse' as Alex had referred to it once. They'd just completed a near twenty-four hour surgery on a woman with a deformed face due to spilled acid. It was unfair. Everyone else was at the top of their game while she was on the sidelines, watching.

"Are you okay?" Alex threw his arm around her shoulder, frowning at the distant look that graced her face.

"Yeah, yeah," it wasn't a complete lie. "I'm fine," she managed a fake grin. "See? I'm good."

His eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Jo?" he said tentatively, "Are you sure you're okay. Are we okay?"  
She should have known he would worry about their relationship, after all of what they'd been through together. Gently caressing his stubbled cheek, she leaned in to give him a feather light kiss. "We're fine," she smiled, genuinely this time. "I'm just spacing out."

He accepted that. "Have you checked on Abby?"

"Yeah. I stopped by on my way to lunch, which I never got, thank you very much," she poked him in the chest.

"Surgeries don't wait until you're satisfied," he teased.

"Well they should," she huffed with feigh irritation. Dropping their playful banter, she added, "Her temp was normal but her blood pressure was a little high."

"How high?"

"125 over 88."

"Crap," he muttered. "Was everything else okay?"

"Yes. She was talking and alert."

"Good," he breathed out. "Good."

"Alex?" she glanced straight into his eyes. "Do you think Abby will die?"

"Eventually," he shrugged, causing her to become wide eyed. "What? We all do."

"Jerk," she smacked him. "I was being serious."

"So was I."

"Alex!" she glared.

"Okay, okay. I don't know. From what I've read she should've already been dead."

"But she's not," a smile curved at her lips. "So there's still hope."

"Not necessarily," he gave her an odd look before proceeding. "There's still a chance, a chance she could bleed out or have a seizure that causes her to go brain dead or a number of other things."

Jo bit her lip. That was exactly what she didn't want to hear. "Oh."

"Yeah," he quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you so worried anyway?"

"I'm not," the defenses immediately went up. "Even if I was I have a right to be. She's my patient too!" she snapped a little.

"Jo," he seemed surprised by her reaction. "Princess, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. I was wondering. You've never felt this way toward a patient."

The sincerity and concern in his voice weakened her anger down until it was nothing. "Oh, Alex," she buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry. I'm so stressed from everything and I ran into Bailey before you paged me and she grilled me about picking a speciality and I'm so tired but I don't know why and-"

"Shhh," he kissed the top of her head tenderly. "It's okay. I understand. Take your time to pick but if it doesn't work out you can always switch. Bailey just wants you to do the best you can; she likes you, you know?" When all he received was sniffling in response, he squeezed her tighter. "And you're tired from stress. You'll feel better after you sleep some."

"That won't be for awhile," she muttered.

"Doesn't have to be," he pointed out. "Go to the on-call room for a while. I've got everything out here."

She pulled away, making her red, puffy eyes and tearstained face known to the world. "No, Alex," she shook her head. "I can't let you do that."

"Why not?' he asked confusedly.

"Because it's like I'm getting special treatment," she'd overheard a conversation between two nurses who were still bitter at her (even after Izzie's lies were revealed), suggesting that Alex was the only reason she didn't get fired. Jo wasn't quite sure how many would believe that but nevertheless she preferred to keep her work life strictly professional.

"Special treatment?" he repeated. "Who told you that?"

"No one," she shifted her weight onto her other foot. "I just don't want people thinking different of me. Besides, I can't learn if I'm sleeping."

"You also can't function if you're not," he said dryly.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She didn't grumble, however, when he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Abby asked me if we're dating," she said casually.

"Oh yeah?" he chuckled. "And what did you tell her?"

"That we're married. You should've seen her, she was so excited," Jo laughed.

"When isn't she?" Alex snorted. His amusement disappeared when he noticed how quiet his wife became. "Jo?"

"She asked me if we have kids," the resident wiped away her remaining tears. "Specifically babies, she likes babies."

"Oh, Jo," he pulled her back in his arms. "It's okay. I didn't know you wanted one. We'll have a baby eventually." His reassurance didn't nothing to comfort her. Instead she stiffened at his remark. Had her reaction been misunderstood? Did he believe her indecisiveness about children was gone? She couldn't just burst his bubble just like that and insist that she was definitely _not_ ready for a baby. But she also couldn't just let him believe it; he'd run his mouth to Meredith who in turn would tell Yang and if Arizona would hear it the whole hospital would be aware before her shift was over.

She had to tell him; tell him that she was upset because it reminded her of the pending situation and the conversation at lunch the other day. He'd understand. He'd already helped her through so much; a little talk about kids wouldn't even be a dent. Oh, but he was so cute when he was excited. His grin was wide, reminiscing of when they'd gotten married. "We're gonna have a baby," he whispered happily.

"Not yet," Jo said loudly to the eavesdropping nurses. "Not expecting yet. Just preparing."

Alex was smiling so widely at her that she couldn't help but smile back and hope it didn't look like a grimace

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really liked writing this one. I hope Abby didn't sound older than 8, I had trouble trying to write her dialogue. Anyways, I will try to get the next chapter before June 1st**.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, hello! I now have a beta: thankthatstar. And I hope you love this chapter!**

" _You're just like Izzie."_

Jo's hands dropped away from the keyboard, unable to proceed further in her note taking. Five hours had passed since she lied to Alex, her husband; the one person you should most definitely not lie to. No doubt he'd be utterly furious when he found out the truth. The resident felt hot tears spring to her eyes upon realizing she just potentially screwed up her marriage. Alex had been right, she _was_ just like Izzie Stevens and that was a place she'd told herself she wouldn't be. "I'm an idiot," she whispered to herself and buried her face in her hands. "I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot; God, I'm an idiot." What had she been thinking? It had been a mistake not to correct Alex the moment it became apparent he misunderstood her. There was no recovering from this; not when they'd just gotten back from their honeymoon and she already broke the unspoken rule of marriage.

After the encounter, Jo trudged over to the computers whilst attempting to compose herself. On the outside, she was calm and collected. But on the inside, for if she didn't have to work twelve more hours, she would have been bawling. Doing something productive would distract her and that's all she needed at the moment. And it worked, too, for a good ten minutes until Stephanie barged in and ruined her concentration. The wannabe neurosurgeon's presence was a rare sight to be seen due to her excessive obsession with neuro and her slight disliking of children. "I can't believe you're actually thinking about a kid!" the exclamation was enough to jolt Jo completely. Her mouth went dry and she found herself to be at a loss for words. Word really _did_ get around the hospital fast.

"Where did you hear that?" Jo fought considerably to keep her voice from trembling.

"I overheard Karev squealing like a little girl to Dr. Robbins that you were finally trying and that you suddenly wanted kids," Stephanie grinned wryly; completely oblivious of the sudden tension. Jo's insides were churching and she fought to keep control of herself; though throwing up seemed to be the best option. "So, working on the floor made you realize what you were missing, huh?" She nudged her friend, wiggling her eyebrows then sighed, feigning regret. "You've become one of _those_ girls."

"No," Jo shook her head violently. Oh how far from the truth that was. "I just-" she paused upon realizing she had no definitive answer, especially none that would satisfy her friend without contributing another lie.

"I never took you as the kid type," Stephanie commented seemingly unaware of Jo's odd behavior. "But hey, things change," she shrugged."

"Yeh," Jo muttered, keeping her eyes downcast, "They sure do." The guilt was eating away at her; she wouldn't even be surprised if it drove her to the psych ward.

"Yeah," they fell in complete silence for a total of two minutes before Stephanie faced her with a wide grin and wiggling eyebrows. "I have some gossip for you if you're interested."

"Please," Jo rolled her eyes, relieved to be away from the baby subject. She'd never been one of those giggly, gossiping girls like in high school. She's matured, she was a productive member of society. What made Stephnie think she'd even want to-

"It's about your husband," Steph said in a sing song voice.

Screw maturity. "What about him?" Jo turned halfway to face her friend with a curious expression on her face. "What'd he do now?" As long as the police hadn't been called again she could deal with whatever mess he'd created.

Stephanie beamed, satisfied she took the bait. ""He had a fight with Dr. Shepherd over a patient's treatment plan. Some girl, Addie, I think her name was."

"Abby."

"Huh?" Stephanie was bewildered at the sudden disruption.

"Abby," Jo's cheeks felt warm. "Her name is Abby, not Addie."

"Right," Stephanie looked at her weirdly. "Anyway. Dr. Shepherd wrote in Abby's chart that she had no signs of abnormality anywhere or a tumor or anything else. She said she could go home and Karev was not happy. He insisted Shepherd must've missed something and demanded to see her scans for himself." Jo winced. Dr. Shepherd did not like being bossed around, much less by someone not in her department. "Well, naturally Shepherd was furious and I'm surprised security hadn't been called."

"That bad?" Jo winced again. An angry Alex was not good. She'd definitely witnessed it and been at the receiving end of his anger.

"Girl, I don't even think your fights have ever been that bad," Stephanie stared pointedly. Jo doubted that very much but let her continue anyway. "I don't know what the big deal is; sure it's sad and I don't want the kid to die but there's nothing we can do." Jo stayed silent without offering her own opinion on the matter. "Between you and me," Stephanie paused for a moment, reluctant to finish. "Between you and me, I think he's attached to Abby."

Jo frowned. "Why would you think that? He just wants her to get the best care; you know he's passionate about kids."

Stephanie gave her a "duh" kind of look. "Come on, Jo. You know him better than anyone, well, maybe besides Grey, Yang, Robbins-"

"Your point, Steph?" Jo interjected irritably.

"My point is; he wants kids, Jo, we both know that. And he's obviously taken an attachment to Abby. Have you met her parents?"

"They're dead," Jo said quietly, giving a sideways glance down the same hall Abby's room was in. "They died of cholera while exploring in the Amazon." A twinge of pain hit her heart but she couldn't figure out why so she shrugged it off; death was sad, she was allowed to be sad for Abby.

"Wow," Stephanie was speechless. "That's insane. Is she in foster care or something?"

"Sonny's Orphanage. Alex and I met one of the caretakers, Margaret. She's really nice."

"No wonder Karev likes her so much. He wants to adopt her!" Stephanie said with realization. "You're about to have a daughter." The resident was excited for her friend until she noticed Jo's face that conveyed the exact opposite of what she thought she'd be feeling. 'And that's good...right?"

Jo squirmed in her seat. "I should really get back to my notes," she made to start typing again but Stephanie took the mouse away. "Steph!"

"Okay, what's going on?" Stephanie asked in a no-nonsense tone that Jo couldn't really ignore. "I hear Karev saying you finally want a baby but I talk about adoption and you clam up?" Jo bit down on her lip, ashamed. "Oh God, Jo. You don't want kids, do you?"

"Not really," Jo ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't have time for them right now! I'm just ending my residency and I have to figure out if I'm doing a fellowship or not and what freaking specialty I'm doing," the frustration in her voice was evident. "I can't handle a kid, Steph. I just can't."

"Than why did you tell Karev you were?" Stephanie was neither angry nor accusing.

"I didn't mean to," Jo confessed. "He misunderstood me. Abby asked me if we had kids and I said no and I got upset, yes, but that's for a completely different reason. I didn't meant I wanted kids."  
"Okay," Stephanie wasn't following. "So why were you upset then?" Jo froze; it didn't occur to her until that very moment Stephanie didn't know about the visit with the fertility doctor, no one did. A small part of her brain encouraged her to backtrack and keep the secret just that-a secret but Jo knew better. When Stephanie wanted to know something she dug and dug until she did. She couldn't risk Alex knowing so as much as she preferred to bury the conversation and never bring it up again; she knew she was forced to confess.

"I'm going to a fertility doctor," she shut her eyes so she didn't have to see Stephanie's reaction. "I saw her once and she ordered a ultrasound, I'm just waiting for a conforming call to confirm the date."

"Oh wow," Stephanie uttered, shocked.

"I was upset because this kid subject is getting thrown in my face and yeah, maybe I want one someday, but not now. I'm kinda hoping my test shows I'm infertile so I can't have kids and I won't feel guilty for not giving Alex what he wants." It felt _so_ good to say it all out loud, even if that person was her best friend and not her husband, whom was the real person that needed to hear it. "I lied because Alex looked so happy that we we're finally going to start trying. I didn't want to break his heart."

"I don't want to be the debbie downer or something," Stephanie's tone indicated to Jo she certainly wasn't going to like what she had to say. "But you do realize you might have just destroyed your marriage? I mean, Karev's pretty sensitive, even if he doesn't want to admit it. I don't think he'll take this well..." she trailed off.

Jo shook her head vigorously. "You can't tell a soul, especially Alex. Promise me you won't?"

Stephanie bit down on her lip. "Jo-"

"Promise me!" Jo pleaded. "Steph, please?"

"Oh, alright," Stephanie groaned to her relief. "You better hope this doesn't get out of hand."

 _I think it already did_ , Jo thought grumpily. She was brought back to reality by a searing pain in her abdomen. It started out as a small prickle, one that she'd had plenty of times before but shrugged it off as her diet; after all, when working as a surgeon in a hospital you didn't often get a cooked meal and mostly relied on cafeteria food or a vending machine. But this; this was intense. "Steph," she gasped. The lower portion of her stomach, nearing the groin area, felt as though it was being squeezed by a python.

"Oh my God, Jo, are you okay?" Stephanie asked, panicked.

Jo griminced as the severe part of the pain came into play. It was like hot needles; extremely hot needles that were on fire and scraping across her uterus. It was nothing like she'd ever experienced before.

"I'm going to call for a gurney," Stephanie wiped out her pager, "and Karev."

"No!" Jo snatched it, quick as lightning. "Alex can't know!"

"Why not?" her friend exclaimed in exasperation. "You're obviously hurt for something. He's your husband; he has a right to know."

"I'm fine," Jo closed her eyes, slumping down in the uncomfortable chair as the pain died down slowly. "I'm fine really."

"You should still get checked out," Stephanie insisted. "Let April do it or Hunt-somebody."

"I'm fine," Jo repeated. "It was probably just cramps. I'm irregular." While that wasn't a lie, she knew deep down that wasn't the cause. She'd had painful cramps before, ones that left her in bed moaning and groaning. But these had been different; her insides felt like they were being twisted. She could feel her pulse rising from the pain. It hurt so bad her vision was affected and the very simple action of getting air seemed impossible.

Stephanie seemed doubtious by her quick explanation. "Those didn't look like regular cramps. Are you having any other symptoms? It could be your appendix radiating pain or something ruptured or-"

"Steph, I'm fine," Jo cut her off. The resident rubbed her temples, mentally-and physically-exhausted by the conversation. A nap was sounding really good right now but, to her dismay, her shift didn't end for seven more hours.

"Uh huh," Stephanie crossed her arms. "Jo, this is ridiculous. You're in a hospital; you work _in a hospital_. If you're feeling bad just go get checked out. No one will care.

"Doctors!" a young nurse, one neither could place a name to, rushed at them frantically. Probably a newbie, Jo thought. Newbie nurses always panicked. "She's crashing!"

"Who?" Stephanie asked as she and Jo both stood up quickly. The girl rambled in a nervous way which didn't offer them any information. "WHO?"

"Uh, uh, the girl in 511," the nurse blurted out, "Warren, I think."

And just like that, Jo bolted down the hallway faster than she ever had before.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello my lovelies! I know this is short but school is kicking my butt right now so in between studying this is the best I came up with. Luckily this semester is over at the end of this month so I'll have a few weeks of break before the next semester.**

"I need three milligrams of epinephrine!" Jo considered herself to be relatively calm during emergencies; there were occasions that said otherwise but those were few and far in between. She was brilliant in medical school and she was brilliant now; only, she didn't feel brilliant. She'd leaped out of her chair, abandoning her idle note taking and all thoughts about her lie to Alex.

"Where is that crash cart?" she snapped at the poor Newbie Nurse that informed her and Stephanie about Abby's deterioration. As she watched the nurse dash out of the room, the rational side of her was insistent that she needed to calm down.

 _You weren't that great in the beginning either. Remember your first surgery with Meredith?_

The resident griminced. She would need to apologize later but for now Abby was her first priority. Glancing down, she saw her lips and fingertips were shaded a pale blue, an indication of lack of oxygen. If she didn't get to her quick enough-she would be brain dead. And how would she explained that to Margaret? That she let one of her kids die?

"Here you go doctor, here's that crash cart," the Newbie Nurse flung it at her, luckily Jo had quick reflexes or it would've surely caused injury to her back.

"Thank you," she briefly smiled but turned serious seconds later. "Charge to one hundred," she ordered.

"Yes doctor."

The machine powered up and Jo, breath hitching, shocked Abby once. There was no immediate reaction other than her body jerking. Her vitals remained the same. 'Charge to two hundred." The process repeated with the same results, causing Jo to become flustered.

 _No, no no! We can't lose her._

"Doctor, don't you think we should stop? It doesn't look like she's responding," one of the older, more experienced nurses, Donna remarked.

"Absolutely not, charge to three hundred," Jo demanded. Donna nodded and obayed, all the while Jo's heart pounded in her chest. She could feel the pain that plagued her abdomen earlier return, albeit dulled. That, combined with this added stress, was enough to make her unsteady and dizzy.

"Doctor Wilson?"

Donna and the Newbie Nurse observed her, the latter was much more nervous. "Are you alright?" the older woman was a sort of mother figure to everyone else, nurses, doctors and patients. Jo noticed that Mrs. Schmidt and Donna had a lot of the same characteristics.

"Yeah, sorry," she coughed into her shoulder, feeling some relief from the strange episode. "Charge to three hundred again, please." The machine came alive again and Jo shocked Abby for the third time-this time, there was results.

"Oxygen is rising and BP is 50/48 but also rising."

"Good," Jo sighed in relief just as Abby was waking up. "Hey, how you feeling?" the eight year old yawned softly; her eyelids were noticeably half lidded, as if she was weakly fighting asleep, not at all surprising given the circumstances.

"Tired," she yawned again. It was actually pretty cute, the resident had to admit. "My chest hurts."

"I know, sweetie," Jo didn't make it a habit of calling her patients by any nicknames but felt it was appropriate in this situation. "Donna could you give her some ibuprofen, please?"

"Of course, Doctor Wilson," the nurse went off in search of the medication room; Newbie Nurse followed her, presumably apprehensive by Jo's sudden change in mood. Jo felt guilty for having gone off on her like that. She remembered being the newbie and unsure about everything; it wasn't easy, especially when you had superiors that had an attitude problem. Jo couldn't explain what happened next, but she impulsively reached out, stroking Abby's hair as she closed her eyes and lulled off to sleep. She'd never been as good with kids as Alex was, he was a natural. Of course, she had to log in peds hour during her residency so she wasn't completely naive. Even so, Abby was different. She just felt so at ease with her and didn't know why.

"Oh, you are turning into such a softie."

Jo's head shot up at the sound of the scoffing voice; she whirled around to find Stephanie in the doorway with a smirk on her lips. Jo wondered how long she'd been there. "Steph! You nearly gave me a heart attack, God." She chose to conveniently ignore the insult hurled at her about becoming a softie.

"I thought you didn't want kids?" Stephanie's irritating smirk never disappeared as Jo quietly left Abby's room, careful not to wake her up as she closed the door. Jo didn't really want to leave but knew if she didn't it would raise more questions; questions she did not want to answer. "You looked pretty cozy in there, Jo."

"Oh shut up," Jo scowled. "So I touched her hair, so what?" she snipped, feeling extremely aggravated by her friend's teasing. Stephanie held her hands up in surrender, seemingly baffled by her behavior.

"I was just teasing. If you like the kid, that's your business. I just don't want you getting too attached, you know, if she dies."

Jo's anger dissipated, if only slightly. "I know, I know." The last thing she wanted to hear was ore talk about Abby's anticipated death. Margaret even said she beat the odds, being that she should've died much earlier, so there was still a chance for recovery.

"Oh, boy, here comes Karev," Stephanie commented, looking past Jo, "he looks mad." Jo stomach churned. Had he heard about her lie already? It wouldn't have been surprising if one of the nurses heard her talking to Stephanie and ratted her out to Alex. Nurses could be a doctors best friend or worst nightmare. And with the way the gossip train was always running around Grey Sloane like clockwork, it would only take one person to start it.

"What's going on?" Alex's forehead glistened with sweat; Jo hoped it was a result of the hectic chaos from the pit. "Is Abby okay?"

"She's fine," Jo was relieved that's all he had to say. "She flatlined but I got her back and her vitals are returning to normal." Alex then rounded on the nurses, particularly Newbie Nurse , for not preventing this. Jo's guilt increased when she noticed Newbie Nurse had tears in her eyes, using all of her strength not to cry. She must've only been there a month or so; still, it sucked to be reprimanded so harshly. Jo heaved a sigh. Alex got, err, protective when it came to his pediatric patients, especially those in different circumstances such as Abby.

"Alex," Jo interjected sharply, causing both her husband and Newbie Nurse to look at her. "Leave her alone. We don't know why she flatlines, it could've been anything." Alex obayed-reluctantly, she might add and mumbled an apology to the nurse. She smiled thankfully at Jo, whom reciprocated the gesture.

Alex pulled her aside. "I want you to stay with Abby for the rest of the day. Don't worry about missing anything, I'll have an intern handle your post ops. I want to know of the slightest change."

"Okay," Jo said slowly. This was more of a nurse's job, not a surgeon's. On the other hand, it would give her an opportunity to study, being that Abby was asleep there would be no interruptions; not that she minded talking to Abby. The little girl was one big bundle of happiness.

Alex kissed her square on the mouth. "I love you," he told her with a big grin on his face. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I can't wait to be a dad. Thank you for giving this a try." He turned on his heels and left, presumably going back in the direction of the pit. Stephanie waved to her and also left. She must've gotten paged by Shepherd.

"Love you too," Jo trailed off when her phone buzzed in her coat pocket. It was Dr. Moy's office. "Hello?"

"Hello!" the voice on the other end was very chipper. "This is Rosa from Dr. Moy's office. I was calling to set up your ultrasound date. Does tomorrow at one work for you? "

"Yes," Jo breathed out. "Yes. That's perfect, thank you."

"Fantastic! See you then!" Rosa hung up. Jo dropped her phone back into her pocket with a heavy heart, not knowing if she was ready for this or not.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm terribly sorry this isn't a chapter but I wanted to say I'm redoing this story. It's not what I want anymore and instead of a sick child with rare sickness I'm gonna change it. That being said, this new story will feature abuse/ human trafficking so you've all been warned but there will be warnings on that story as well. I'm not gonna go super deep into it where you'll read about the sexual acts (i don't write sex) but it'll be deep enough. I hope you all aren't mad and I'm trying to decide if I should just delete this one and make the new one separate or just replace the chapters and change the summary/ title

What do you all think?


End file.
